Photo By Sgt. Grace Nechanicky | Swedish Army Lt. Col. Fredrik Mansson, the chief of operations for the Swedish 1st...... read more read more
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LATHAM, New York-Six New York Army National Guard officers and an Air Guard master sergeant are heading to Sweden to help the Swedish Army’s 1st Division conduct its first ever division staff command post exercise.
Prior to 2022, the Swedish Army’s highest command level was a brigade.
Sweden, which joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in March of 2024, initialed a State Partnership Program agreement with the New York National Guard in July of 2024.
Since then, Swedish military personnel have visited New York regularly to learn from the New York Army and Air National Guard and New York’s Naval Militia.
Now, the Swedish military has asked the New York Army Guard to provide staff officers to help provide advice and support during their command post exercise, according to Lt. Col. Melanie Padilla, the New York National Guard’s State Partnership Program director.
In February the Swedish Army sent a delegation to observe the New York Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division conduct a Warfighter exercise at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.
Warfighter tests the ability of division staff personnel to operate in a simulated combat environment.
The Army Guard Soldiers were conducting the command post exercise, or CPX, to prepare for their current deployment to the Central Command area, where they are serving as the headquarters for Task Force Spartan.
At the time, Swedish Lt.Col. Fredrik Mansson, the chief of operations for the Swedish 1st Division, said the purpose for the visit was to observe a division staff in action and learn from that.
The New York Army Guard has been asked to send experts in the following areas, according to Padilla:
• Operations and Planning
• Targeting
• Running a Joint Air Ground Operations Center
• Logistics and rear area support
• Force Protection
• Division Operations
The Swedish 1st Division recently reorganized its staff and is still developing internal standard operating procedures—known as SOPS--and wants help in these areas, she explained.
The Americans will travel to Sweden on Sept. 13 and plan to spend the first two days of their visit working with their Swedish counterparts to help refine the Swedish division SOPs and discuss staff processes, Padilla said.
During the CPX, being held at Swedish Ground Combat School in Enkoping, the Americans will be acting as observers and advisors to their Swedish counterparts.
The CPX kicks off on Sept. 19 and is due to run through Sept. 24.
The State Partnership Program pairs state National Guards with other countries’ militaries for joint training and exchange programs.
The New York National Guard has had a State Partnership Program training and exchange relationship with Brazil since 2019 with South Africa since 2003.
New York also has a bilateral training agreement with the Israeli Homefront Command and the Danish Joint Artic Command which operates in Greenland.
| Date Taken: | 09.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2025 11:24 |
| Story ID: | 547310 |
| Location: | LATHAM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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Kingdom of Sweden (Sweden)
